Cole Ellis

Owner & EXECUTIVE CHEF

A Culinary Institute of Charleston graduate with a Bachelors of Culinary Arts in Baking and Pastry, as well as a Bachelors of Restaurant and Hotel Management, Cole Ellis spent 13 years in Charleston and Nashville working in some of Charleston’s most acclaimed kitchens such as Magnolia’s, Hominy Grill, and Carolina’s, as well as Voysey’s Pub and The Tides located on Kiawah Island. He relocated to Nashville to work with chef Tyler Brown at the Hermitage Hotel, where he took on the chef de cuisine post, and was responsible for raising livestock and running the vegetable garden for the property’s Capitol Grille. In 2013, Ellis returned to his hometown of Cleveland, Mississippi to open Delta Meat Market, a butcher shop, restaurant, bar, and boutique grocer of fine Southern foods. In the summer of 2019 Ellis moved Delta Meat Market across the street into the new Cotton House hotel where he also debuted his newest concept, Bar Fontaine. Located on the rooftop of The Cotton House, Bar Fontaine is an upscale, Southern European inspired bar and restaurant serving small plates, house-made pastas, and clever cocktails. Cole was a semifinalist in 2017 for the James Beard Award “Best Chef South,” and Delta Meat Market has been recognized for its butchery program, food service, and catering in Bon Appetit, Southern Living, Delta Magazine, Garden & Gun just to list a few. Cole’s most recent achievement was being listed as #3 in Southern Living's Best Chefs of the South 2019. So y'all stop by, pull up a chair, order something unexpected, and dig in!